Ride the Wave
Find coffee shops, trends, and activities in Chicago. You may be most familiar with Chicago’s Intelligentsia, which was acquired by Peet’s Coffee, but there are many other great roasters and shops to check out in the Windy City.
Read More About Coffee
All About Coffee
A cup of coffee is a common standby for morning energy. It puts fuel in the morning work tank, and keeps us going throughout the day. Coffee is often paired with work and productivity, but can also be part of a relaxing morning routine. As you can see from Bevver's articles, pages, and maps, coffee houses are a great place to find live music, local artists, bicycle enthusiasts, and more. While most cafes you visit are buying the beans from a roaster, some coffee shops are also roasters and serve the beans they source. If you're a coffee buff, you can even find coffee classes, latte art classes, and roastery tours. Coffee is more than a pick-me-up or flavorful drink, however. Studies have shown that enjoying caffeinated beverages can help combat chronic stress, help memory, and prevent mood swings.
Did you know? The world’s first coffee house was in Constantinople (1475).
Celebrating the coffee culture of community and collaboration
From saving cats to cafe-themed dresses, coffee culture is something to be celebrated.
Where does coffee come from? The coffee belt, which is a section along the equator with the right temperatures for coffee plants.
Ethiopia is a huge coffee region, supplying about half of the world's coffee. Coffee trees look like little Christmas trees and yield coffee cherries (a fruit), and the coffee bean is extracted from the coffee cherry. While the cherries were formerly discarded, there is a growing popularity for beverages made with the coffee fruit. Coffee trees take at least a year to yield their first batch of fruit, and can live a long time - some beyond 30 years!
There are two types of coffee beans, Robusta and Arabica. Arabica plants require a higher elevation to grow. While there are over 100 types of Arabica beans, there are only 2 varietals of Robusta plants.
In the digestive system, caffeine has a half life of 6 hours, meaning after drinking 50mg of caffeine, you will have metabolized 25mg in 6 hours. However, studies have shown that women tend to break down caffeine more slowly, which would explain why some people are effected by caffeine differently. Read more at Coffee Chemistry.
If you’re looking to relax at a cafe with an outdoor patio, we found several that may work for you. We’ve compiled a list of ten cafes throughout the city that have great outdoor space.